The Underground Library
by Dr.SheldonCooperFTW
Summary: Mostly Daniel Jackson/OC. I tried to write something different than most other stories that all involve mostly Carter. This is about an underground library on another world they find that hold the key to everyones future. Rated T just in case.


Four figures emerged from the water-like sheet that filled the portal. They were wearing camouflage army outfits with black vests, that were filled with various supplies and weapons to help them out on their journey to Second Earth (they didn't know this of course, they referred to the planet of Second Earth as P3X-559).

The four members included Colonel Jack O'Neill, the leader, with strong features, dark chocolate eyes and matching hair. Also on the team is Teal'c who, although a member of the Jaffa carrying a Goa'uld larvae, had switched sides some time ago, realizing the freedom he could be having, and now worked with the team of SG-1. Daniel Jackson had longish brown hair, glasses and was the linguistics and cultural expert of the SG-1 team. He knew most of the ancient languages, and had a strong curiosity to solve every puzzle that came his way. Last, but not least, is Samantha Carter (Sam to her friends), a strong, dedicated woman with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Despite her appearance, she was a skilled warrior and had been trained in combat from a young age. She was the technical engineer of the team.

They noticed a young girl standing on the shore not too far from them.

Anticipation welled up inside of the girl as the team ambled up to her. She smiled widely as Jack introduced each of them to her.

"We're explorers here from Earth." he added at the end.

Her eyes widened and she knelt in front of them, reaching out, just inches from Jack's shoes.

Jack nodded, puzzled. "You've heard of us, I'm guessing."

"Why do people always do this?" Daniel mumbled and lightly touched the girls arm. She jerked her head up at him and smiled so brightly as if he was just kissed her, which in her culture, touching probably was like that. He let go of her, acutely aware of this fact and said, "We mean no harm."

"I'm aware." She blushed again as Daniel reached out his hand to shake her hand.

Carter smiled, "I think she likes you."

"You look surprised to see us." Jack, all business once again.

At first she was worried, usually so good at hiding the emotions that were so forbidden and didn't exist on this world, but as soon as she saw they weren't going to kill her, she relaxed a bit and all of the emotions she's been suppressing seemed to pour out of her.

She nodded vigorously. "No one comes through the portal anymore. Well, not for 20 years. They told us you were all dead." The girl shook her head clear and began thinking.

"Who's they?" Carter responded first.

"By 'they,' I mean the elders."

"Are your people from Earth?"

"The people of this world are humans. Descendants of Earth after it was destroyed, yes."

"Destroyed?"

"Yes," she wrapped the thin blanket around her even tighter as the suns lowered a bit more in the sky.

"Here," Daniel took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

"You're loving this aren't you?" Carter smirked as the girls face grew redder and she slipped her arms into the jacket.

"Come on, she can't be a day over 16." Daniel whispered.

"I'm 24." she glared at Daniel, as if hurt.

"Can we get back to the whole 'Earth-is-destroyed' thing?"

"My apologies," she bowed to the leader, "yes, the legend, as I have been told, is that there was a great plague that swept through the world almost 39 generations ago and eventually, the people there who were immune couldn't rebuild and decided to leave through the Great Portal. They came here and Second Earth was born."

"Can we meet these elders?"

Her eyes widened and filled with fear. "NO!" she practically screamed. "Quickly now, I'll explain more later, but right now, I have to get you out of sight. My camp is this way. No one will bother us there." She led them through the woods a ways from the beach.

"Why do we have to hide?"

Maddie glanced quickly at Daniel, who asked the question. "If the elders see you, they'll kill you."

"Why?"

She smiled. She liked him. He asked so many questions and didn't waste any time. Very…. Earth-like.

"The elders are hiding things from our world. We all perform guard duty on the portal in shifts. One day, during a shift change, I was hiding in the trees gathering fruit when the portal opened. A guard is instructed to kill whatever comes through and then bring the elders. My dear friend, Pavarti, was on guard that day. As instructed, she shot the three men that came through the gate with her arrows and went to get the elders."

Carter saw the pain in her eyes and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "What happened next?"

"Well, I knew I had a few minutes before they got there so I ran to the men. Their wounds hadn't killed them yet, but there was no saving them. One of them grabbed my wrist." She started to tear up. "They said they only came here to trade. He asked what was wrong with us. I couldn't answer him. It's what we were taught to do. Nothing good could come through the portal, that's what the elders always tell us. They all had some sort of contraption around their neck and I took it, as a rememberance of them. It was from a different world. And I have treasured them and always remembered what we did to them. They were just here to trade. They weren't here to harm us."

She cried harder and laid her head in Carter's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell your people of this?" It was the first time the girl had heard Teal'c speak and it startled her, btu she answered.

"I was going to, but after what the elders did to Pavarti.. I... I couldn't. I didn't want to be killed."

"They killed her?" Carter said in disbelief.

"They told her that they couldn't have anyone knowing that there was anything else out there."

"If they wanted you to think there was nothing else out there why do they have you guard the gate? Why didn't they just bury it?"

The girl shrugged, looking ashamed that she didn't know the answer.

"What's your name, by the way?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, my apologies. I am Lucinda, but Maddie is my Earth name."

"Your Earth name?"

She smiled, "Yes, after reading much of your Earth's history I decided to rename myself. Though, I can't tell anyone else of this because then my library would be discovered and they would kill me."

"What library?"

So many questions, but Maddie loved this. They did not ask questions in excess on her world.

Maddie was going to take them to her camp, but she decided to take them to the library. She knew they would understand her motivation then. The door in the ground appeared as she approached and she lifted her wrist, which contained the key, and the door lifted itself and allowed them to enter.

Sam went first, weapon drawn, as usual, to make sure it wasn't a trap. Maddie sealed the door as they were inside and telepathically turned the lights on. The massive football-sized room revealed itself to the SG team.

"Wow," Sam whispered.

Daniel, of course, was already flipping through the books closest to the entrance. Teal'c, having no interest in books, searched the structure of the library to see if anyone could gain access.

"It's no use," Maddie called after him. "I have the only key and no one knows of the existence of this place either. Otherwise, I'd be dead."

"What exactly is this place?" Jack asked as the looked over Daniel's shoulder at one of the books.

Daniel answered, "The history of Earth." he marveled. "All these books contain the history of Earth, am I correct?"

"Yes," Maddie smiled, "Not only it's history, but all of it's languages, which is of no use to me, and it's popular fiction and nonfiction… novels, I think you call them and the computer system contains TV programs, popular music and every book in this place in the hard drive. That's been my favorite part of the whole place."

"How is this possible?" Sam said. "That another planet has all this history and information when we don't even have that knowledge."

Daniel called out from a few rows ahead of them, "Guys, I have here the entire history of ancient Egypt." He smiled. "Everything. From what the people wore to a day-to-day events calendar of each of the pharaohs themselves. This is incredible."

Jack had found his way to the military section and discovered the real reason the Civil War was lost by the South.

"The Goa'uld were in the 19th Century?" he asked no one in particular.

"How did you discover this place?" Daniel had ripped himself from the stacks and was talking to Maddie.

Jack interrupted, "Just… start from the beginning. What allows your culture to keep this place and the rest of the world hidden?"

Maddie took a deep breath and started explaining, "My father brought me here from Earth when I was 4. He gave me this bracelet," she held up what looked like a simple silver charm bracelet, "and said I would know how to use it in time. Well, when I turned eight, as everyone does, I left the Warehouse and got this chip implanted in my brain. After that-"

"Hold on, Hold on," Daniel stopped her. "What's the warehouse? And what chip are you talking about? Mind control?"

"No, I wouldn't describe as mind control. More of mind strengthening. It gives us the power of the universal translator. It is tied to our audio and visual cortex's so we see, talk and hear in whatever language will allow the other person to understand us." Maddie lifted up her hair and showed them the blinking red light behind her ear.

"Why do you need it if you know of no other worlds?" Daniel asked. She again, was so impressed with him.

"I'm not really sure. I, myself, thought that same question but know not the answer."

"So how did your father know about the library?"

Maddie shrugged, "I don't know. I am glad I found it, however. AS I was saying, when you're 8, they send you out into the wilderness and you are forced to survive in the bitter cold of winter. I'm afraid I found this place and cheated my way to survival. Learning about your Earth culture has excited me so. When I came across one speaking of your Stargate program, I knew that that's what the portal was and I so hoped someone would come. Of course, I could have just read and found out if and when you visited, but... where's the fun in that?" She smiled. Glad to be able to do so out in the open.

"Wait… there's a book about our program?"

Maddie nodded and showed them the book. It read like an encyclopedia. When Daniel came to his name, he shut the book. "It describes the technology, the planets and everyone involved, including how and when they die... died."

"How can that be? You say the Stargate cannot time travel… it only travels within the context of our time. Which means that everywhere, according to Earth's Mountain Standard Time it is 5:37 PM, on July 15, 2010 and no sooner or later." Carter rebutted.

"Maybe it updates. Some kind of technology that we do not know of, maybe?" Jack interjected.

Daniel nodded, "I don't see how this is possible. These books aren't tied to technology so there is no way that they can update."

He looked at Maddie with quizzical eyes and she found herself blushing. Not quite the reaction he was looking for and Jack shared a look with Carter of bemusement as they saw the exchange between the two.

"Maddie," Daniel started, "Is there a place around here we can stay?"

Maddie smiled, "Of course, my camp was fit for 7 people but each of them were guards and have disappeared," she bowed her head as if to remember the dead and perked up again quickly, "So I have plenty of room there for you all to stay."

"Thank you," Teal'c bowed. "I believe we should be going. I don't think it is right that we be privy to this information."

Daniel looked at Teal'c, seeming almost offended that he suggested gaining information was not a good thing.

"Ok, I guess we're going then," He slowly set down the book and stared at it as they exited the library.

Maddie smiled at him and wrapped her arms around herself so as to bring him closer to her through his jacket.


End file.
